Shoe bottom filling apparatus



Nov. 13, 1934.

A. THOMA SHOE BOTTOM FILLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 26 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 13, 1934. A. THOMA SHOE BOTTOM FILLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 26, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 java] flmd'rezulywm Patented Nov. 13, 1934 UNITED STA 1,980,946' SHOE BOTTOM FILLING APPARATUS Andrew Thoma,

Cambridge, Mass, assignor to North American Chemical Company,

Cam-

bridge, Mass'., a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 26,

- 3 Claims.

My invention is a machine for facilitating the filling of shoe-bottom cavities with shoe filler in the form of plastic died-out pieces and is especially adapted to accomplishing 'the same with ness and economy possible. This appar method set forth in plication Serial No. 3

The kind of filler piece extra high heat and at much greater speed, neathas heretofore been atus is for carrying out the my concurrent method ap- 88,320, filed August 26, 1929.

is set forth in my applithan pieces when properly by means of The procedure hereto the operator to hand toolsor spatulas such as been heretofore commonly employed in shoe factories in connection with my conditioned by the machine have bulk or loaf filler. fore customary has been for take his spatula in his hand and clip from the conditioning basin or pot such portion of the melted filler as required for the individed shoe, then apply the same to the shoebottomgiving it a preliminary smoothing or laying and spreading application with the knife as 1,523,701 of January present invention however a the filler is dumped in the shoe-bottom, and then finishing the spreading by means all as set forth for example of a hot roll, in Patent No. v', 1925. According to my plurality of spatare employed, sufficient in and its filler piece always ready in accordance with the degree of heat and speed of the operator.

carriers are provided knife, together with stantly applying to strong intense heat.

knives and a confined heating highheating means for in- Supporting means or these several spatulas or chamber for each for the knife and the piece a Preferably above the heating chamber is a supply pan for the pieces which the operator as the are to be placed upon the respective spatulas by knives are returned empty one after the other to the apparatus after each has delivered to the shoe-bottom cavity the fully Further details and conditioned filler piece with which it was prethe method of use will be set forth in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

. Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section through a portion of the machine through one of the spatula carriers taken longitudinally and the adjacent parts of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine, parts being broken away f or clearness of illustration;

1929,. Serial: No- 388,321 (01. 18-1) Fig. 3 a cross sectional detail on the dotted line 3--3 Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional detail of certain portions of the carrier connecting mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a modified construction; and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a further modification.

On a suitable platform 1 I mount a cover 2 on the underside of which is the heating chamber herein shownas comprising four compartments 3, 4, 5 and 6,on the underside of which chamber is suitable heating means which may be of any kind available or preferred such as steam, gas, or electricity, but herein shown for convenience of illustration as a hot plate 7 electrically heated by the usual means 8. The underside of this plate is indicated as heavily insulated at 9 and the cover 2 also has heavy insulation 10. In front of these several compartments are spatula carriers 11, 12, 13, 14 arranged to slide toward and'from the heating compartment between guides 15. A filling tool, knife, or spatula is supported by each carrier, four thereof lfi, 17, 18 and 19 being herein shown, the handle of a spatula being shown in Fig. 1 30 as resting at its opposite ends between positioning stops 20, 21 formed at the back and front of the carrier 11 and resting at the rear end on a ledge 22 while the'blade 23 of the spatula rests on the upper edge of the stop 21. The carrier 11 and its 5 spatula are shown in Fig. 2 with the blade 23 withdrawn from the heater compartment 3 While the remaining spatulas 17, l8, 19, have their respective blades 24,- 25, 26 within their heating compartments 4, 5, and 6. Preferably the carriers are connected for cooperative automatic movement,

a flexible band preferably of spring metal being shown as a convenient means. This band as shown in Figs. 1-4 is in sections, a section 27 being secured at 28 to the carrier 11 and at 29 at its opposite end to the carrier 12 and passing around a pulley 30 mounted in a housing 31. Other bands similarly secured and mounted are shown at 32 and 33. The cover 2 alsopreferably constitutes the bottomof a filler supply pan 34, said bottom being inclined at least part of its length as indicated at 35 for facilitating the movement of the supply of filler pieces. Also this pan or supply memberis preferably divided by partitions 36, 37, into at least three compartments A, B, C, for different sizes of pieces. Preferably also the heating chamber is variable in size to accommodate different thicknessesof filler pieces in accordance with the kind of shoe factory and the work being done. This can be accomplished in 1 0 -r a'tai .abc el i fille P ec secured to the underside of the pan and insulation various ways but for convenience of illustration I have shown the pan whose bottom constitutes the top of the heat chamber as mounted on an adjustable support whose base 38 and upper part 39 are adjustably clamped to each other by thumb screws 40, 41, cooperating with vertical slots l2. While 'my invention is capable of handling any kind of filler piece which needs softening by heat, the main purpose thereof is to provide means for facilitating the use of the high-heat responsive filler pieces of my copending application first above mentioned, in which a sudden. high heat is required for melting or properly softening the powdered asphalt or other elements i eq 'rih' n tremely high heat. As fully expiained,,fin method application already referred to, the present apparatus and the method whichit facilitate's cooperate in making it possible and practicable to.

handle in a shoe filler such desirable ingredients a h a ha t W ihqui the ri k o des r y n t body material as would be the case with, a; long o nued 1 ev slo er-in-t arai re a s a rat make. es l .E e f Jim bladeshaving been loadedwith one fille r piece, P, as shown in Fig. 2, the operator pulls out the first oarrier grasping the handle of the spatula 16, (its carrier 11 having a space or hand-hold 4. as h n mm, 1 b w en h handl endi carrier to permit the fingersof the hand to grasp the handle quickly), and lifts the spatulawith s softened filler. piece B an d flops it over bottom: side up in the cavity of the shoe-bottom which he holds in his left hand. Simultaneously he gives 1 the piece afquick spre'adingbac'k and forth movement with the blade 23 thereby sticking the piece to the bottom of the cavity and likewise spreading it to Itheconfines thereof. .Havihgfilled this r gby Sa le-sun ovem h places the spatulaback as shown in Fig. 2, pokes a fresh filler piece from the pan 3ionto the blade 23 and then pullsout the-carrier 1 2 lwith its filler P n ro e lyfiene Th s. ou wa movement "of said carrier instantly slides into heating position the first spatula. this is r aih oiie at tli is the s at a 7. and fills the scond shoe by floppii 'g the second piece t sam a before; cb deiios in th Sec- ;ond filler piece in the cavity of the second shoe and spreading it 'in place we quick back and 93. vem nt. th .01 h d h n ac this second knife or spatula 17 back as it was, pokes af e h r ece'dqw t romih ni it blade ..p l he rd a a -.-"l .i m ent. a i ma e l c ressewed pai- 1e w ch. has us b mused and r fil ed iqrwa 'd into heating position, whereupon theoperator lifts the said third spatula l8 with its softened iiller piece, flops-it over so as to deposit its piece into the cavity of the third shoe. fI'hesameinstant deft movement of the hot bladespreads the third piece in the third shoe. v The operator then restores thethird knife 18, places afresh piece thereon and pulls out the fourth carrier 14 with its spatula'19 and properly softened filler piece. The latter he. applies to the fourth shoe-bottom cavity the same as before and restores the spatula to its carrier 4, loads it with a fresh pieceand I shoves the carrier into heating position. He then pulls out the firstfcarrier-ll with its spatula i6 and now properly softened second load or filler piece proceeds as before.

. heniechanism of Fig. 5 is the same construe oh, ha bperation gxcepting that the .hbt

spatula to come in direct contact with the hot types of filler pieces which are more homogeneous throughout orwhich do not have such high heat constituents or which do not have a high heat constituent on one side. With the latter types the con truction which requires the blade of the plate. ispreferable.. Referring again to the construction of Figs. 1-4, it will be observed that I haveinclined the bottom of the pan as shown at l'l and have provided a vent 48 tending to withdraw the st eam of heat rearward instead of ,forwa d. he her es beingib n eiv iii e ai ing into the face of the operator, The heat is e fined and safeguarded b' theencies her so as to make the softening of he er pi e rapid. I The plate 7 on which the spatulafk 'ves rest iskept at a. glowing heat to 'shortentl ie 'pr F ence of the spreadingknife or'spatula S I aim to confiiie the heating chamber.

the apparatus as possible The n mber of spat; ulas required and hence'thefextent'of the app-eratus used will depend upon the 'sipeedor'theoperiator, the degree of heat employed "and the kind of,fille'r piece beingu'sed. The opera c is not obliged to lift a. filler piece in the pahfhiitsiiniiiy slides it or causes it to glide own theiiieii iejja'iia out onto the knife blade. 'For'thi's ieasohthe ist ance that thepiece as to rau irom the bottom of the pan onto the'bladeis 'inaae'as little as ossible; The geiieraieonsi iictiohehahies the 016'- erator to observe the confditio n of the 'partially softened filler piece in thepan' or of the filler'piece en the withdrawn spatula. and if the latter 6t yet been brought into proper condition he can 12 30 in Fig. 2 and 'engaging' th'e pulleys of all" six,-

carriers is a band '61 'Whichhotiesbbndstb "the band 27 of Fig. 2. Thus whenevra'earr i erand its spatula'are pulled out all the restare heldih. For example when in the various positio'ns'shown carrier 54 would automatically move inward. This relation and operation would take placeentirely around the circle. The heater, pan and general operation and arrangement arethesame in the construction of the species ofFi'g. Gas in the previously described constructions so'that I have omitted furtherjdetails of illustration, description, and explanation of operation.

.L. Sho -bot fi l n ap ara u co p isi heating chamber, heating means therefor, a pinrality of carriers each adapted to carry a filler piece into said chamber for heat treatment and to withdraw the same when heated, and means for causing said carriers to operate in rotation and automatically to hold certain of the pieces in heating position when a heated piece is withdrawn.

2. In a shoe-bottom filling apparatus, heating means for heating a plurality of filler pieces, separate carriers for the individual filler pieces, and means for automatically moving one carrier and its piece inward to position for heating the piece when another carrier and its piece are withdrawn.

3. In a. shoe-bottom filling apparatus, heating means for heating a plurality of filler pieces including a series of contiguous chambers arranged for one filler piece each, a carrier and guiding means therefor in front of each chamber adapted to deliver a filler piece to be heated, and connections for said carriers adapted to control automatically the movements of one carrier with relation to others so as to maintain a given number always in heating position.

ANDREW THOMA. 

